Crimp on flange ("COF") tools are handheld devices with a pair of motor or air-driven crimping rollers used to continuously crimp or rollform a generally U-shaped door seal or edge protector to an automobile body flange, usually an automobile door well. Prior art COF tools generally use a pair of pressure rollers to crimp the seal on the flange, sometimes with a third lateral "guide roller" associated with a vertical pair of pressure rollers. Prior art COF tools are awkward to use for several reasons: they are heavy; they are somewhat difficult to initially engage with the seal; and they are not easily adjusted for use on different types of seals or where different driving means (pneumatic, electric) are required.
FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a prior art handheld COF tool 20 used for crimping a doorseal 12 on a door well flange 10 in known fashion. Tool 20 generally comprises a roller head 22 having a pair of vertical pressure rollers 24 and a lateral guide roller 26 for engaging and continuously crimping or rollformiing the malleable seal 12 onto flange 10.
Pressure rollers 24 are driven by gearing and spring loading mechanisms (not shown) contained in housing 23, which in turn are driven by an electric or pneumatic motor contained in a motor handle 28. The motor in motor handle 28 is controlled by an operator's lever 30 which, when squeezed, activates the motor to drive pressure rollers 24.
Lateral guide roller 26 is unpowered but freely rotating to maintain downward pressure on the gripping section portion of the flange in known manner.
FIG. 3 illustrates an alternate version 20' of the tool 20 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The primary difference between the tool 20' of FIG. 3 and tool 20 of FIG. 2 is the angle of motor handle 28', which in the FIG. 3 embodiment is connected in-line with the gear housing 23' and roller head 22'. Details of the construction and operation of the types of tool shown in FIGS. 1 through 3 can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,068,952, for example.
The prior art tool 20' in FIG. 3 is specifically illustrated as having a drive fluid inlet 27 and a drive fluid outlet 28 for supplying a pneumatic motor drive in handle 28'.